OnePlus scraps OnePlus 5T plan in favour of new flagship OnePlus 6 in early 2018

OnePlus plan 'all-screen' design and Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 CPU in forthcoming OnePlus 6

OnePlus is rumoured to have scrapped plans for a OnePlus 5T upgrade to its current OnePlus 5 flagship and will launch a OnePlus 6, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 CPU, which will be launched early next year.

Specialist website Android Marvel claims that "reliable sources" indicate that OnePlus is to shake-up its release strategy, ditching plans for this year's incremental "T" upgrade and just go for another splashy launch instead with a OnePlus 6 release early in 2018.

The decision, the site claims, could be due to Qualcomm's decision to not release any new mobile processors this year. Earlier reports claimed that the chipmaker cancelled plans to launch the Snapdragon 836, which was tipped to debut inside Google's new Pixels.

Details on the so-called OnePlus 6 remain thin, but Android Marvel notes that, much like the Galaxy S8 and iPhone X, the smartphone will feature an "all screen design" with sized-down bezels at the top and bottom. This screen will reportedly measure in at 6in and will pack a 2,880x1,440 QHD+ resolution.

This bigger screen could see the phone's fingerprint sensor ending up in the same bin at the OnePlus 5T, although the report notes that it's more likely that the scanner will be moved to the rear of the phone.

Elsewhere, expect Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor - which is rumoured to also feature inside next year's Galaxy S9 - to be part of the package. The OnePlus 5 will allegedly be made available in two models, offering either 6GB or 8GB RAM, and 64GB or 128GB built-in storage. The handset is expected to ship with a microSD slot, much like the OnePlus 5 before it.

There's no word yet as to when the OnePlus 6 will launch nor how much it will cost, although talk of an early-2018 arrival hints at a Mobile World Congress unveiling.